Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a chemical treatment apparatus for diluting and activating polymeric materials as well as methods of diluting and activating polymeric materials using the chemical treatment apparatus.
Description of Related Art
Polymeric materials such as polyelectrolytes are often used as flocculants and coagulants for treating wastewater. These polymeric materials typically have a long-chain structure with a high-molecular weight and are tightly tangled prior to activation. To untangle and activate these materials for use, such as for treating wastewater, the polymeric materials are diluted and mixed with water. The degree of activation can be determined by measuring the viscosity of the resulting polymeric solutions. Generally, viscosity increases as the polymer is untangled and becomes more activated with a minimum degree of damage to the long-chain structure. The maximum viscosity associated with a fully activated polymer will vary based on the chemical structure of the polymeric material.
Typically, when a high-molecular weight polymeric material contacts water, a sticky layer forms around the outer surface resulting in the formation of aggregates or “fisheyes”. These fisheyes make it difficult for water to penetrate and hydrate the tangled polymeric material, thereby increasing the time needed to completely activate the tangled polymeric material. To prevent the formation of fisheyes, high shear agitation is used to mix the polymeric material with water. As water begins to hydrate the polymeric material during this mixing step, the long-chain structure of the polymer starts to untangle. The molecules of the partially-hydrated polymeric material are very fragile and are easily damaged by the energy created by the high shear agitation. Due to the increased fragility of the polymer molecules, low shear agitation is sometimes used in lieu of or in addition to high shear agitation. While low shear agitation is less damaging, this mixing technique increases the period of time it takes to activate the polymeric materials.
Extensive time and efforts have been expended in developing apparatuses and methods for diluting and activating polymeric materials. While these apparatuses and methods have overcome some of the drawbacks associated with the prior art, there is still a need for an improved apparatus and method that can quickly and efficiently dilute and activate polymeric materials.